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Dissemination seminars

A key component of the Africa Security and Governance project (ASG) is the dissemination of the country case study reports of the African CSOs partnering in the project. For this purpose, and with the support of ASG, the partner CSOs organized seminars in their respective countries to publicly launch their case study reports.

The primary aim of these seminars was to engage policy makers and mobilize civil society on the issues covered by the case studies. The seminars served as a forum for CSOs to share their findings and offer policy recommendations. They also provided a platform for outreach to policy makers, other stakeholders and the broader civil society.

These seminars took place during 2011 and 2012. Apart from a presentation and critical discussion of the findings and recommendations of the studies, they included the following:

Liberia

Security Sector Reform in the Liberian National Police

The dissemination activities in Liberia around the study on police reform in Liberia, included one major seminar in Monrovia, on 18 March 2011, followed by a series of seminars (1-8 April 2011) out in the counties where the field research had been undertaken. The Monrovia seminar involved broad participation by civil society groups, local police units, relevant policy actors, and international donor and aid organizations. It included a panel debate involving key stakeholders in police reform: the Inspector General of the Liberian National Police (LNP), county police chiefs, the Chairman of the parliamentary committee on security, representatives of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the Chair of the civil society network on security sector reform and the representative of ActionAid International in Liberia.

Ghana

The Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis

The dissemination activities in Ghana included a major seminar on the country case study and a 3-day training workshop for West African CSOs, run by SIPRI (see training workshops). The seminar focused on governance and security implications of the traditional chieftaincy institution and the role civil society could play to alleviate the problems. In addition to the presentation and discussion of the report, the seminar included presentations on communal conflict resolution mechanisms, on governance and communal conflicts in Ghana, and on Ghana’s National Architecture for peace. The seminar involved participation by civil society groups and policy actors, including the deputy minister for Interior, the Head of Ghana’s National Peace Council, experts on ethno-communal conflicts in West Africa, and representatives of international development cooperation agencies operating in Ghana. Download a report from the seminar (PDF).

The seminar was followed by a 3-day training workshop for civil society organizations in West Africa. Download the report.

Cameroon

The security situation in the border area

The case study report on Cameroon was launched and discussed at a major seminar in Yaoundé on 27 October 2011. The seminar included several panel discussions on various aspects of the report. Panelists included the former director of UNESCO for Africa, a police expert from Interpol Africa Zone, representatives from the national security organizations, academic expertise on discussed topics, and Sipri. The seminar had 85 participants, including representatives of civil society groups, government ministries, military and internal security forces, parliamentarians, local governments, academics, traditional authorities, international organizations, regional organizations, diplomats, development cooperation agencies. The seminar received impressive media coverage. Download a report (PDF, in French only).

The seminar was followed by a 1-day training workshop on 28 October 2011, with 60 participants from civil society organizations from across Cameroon. Download the report.

Mali

A role for civil society in fighting terrorism in Mali

The case study report on Mali was disseminated at a high-level seminar in Bamako on 1 November 2011. The seminar focused on the recurring problem of terrorism in Mali and especially the role and perspectives of Malian civil society in contributing to the limitation and prevention of terrorism in Mali. Panelists included representatives from the traditional authorities, the peacekeeping training school, the office of the President, and Sipri. The seminar had over 150 participants, including representatives of the broader civil society (including traditional chiefs, trade unions, women organizations and peace organizations), ministries and government agencies, security forces, diplomatic missions, and international development cooperation agencies. The seminar was widely covered in national and regional print and electronic (radio and TV) media.

The seminar was followed by a 1-day training workshop on 2 November, with some 30 participants from Malian civil society organizations.

Zimbabwe

Assessing the participation of the Women’s Coalition in post-conflict transformation

The country case study report on Zimbabwe was disseminated at a workshop in Harare on 12 December 2011. The seminar focused on the challenges facing the implementation of national, regional and international legal instruments relating to the participation of women in political dialogue and negotiations, and the overall peace-building process in Zimbabwe. The panelists and participants included representatives of the broader civil society (such as women organizations, peace organizations and youth groups), ministries and government departments, political parties, the police, international development cooperation agencies, United Nations specialized agencies (e.g. UNDP) and other international organizations. The seminar had some 55 participants and attracted national and regional media coverage.

The workshop was preceded by a 1-day training workshop on 11 November, with some 50 participants from women groups and the broader civil society community across Zimbabwe.

SIPRI

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources.